Being that I have only been running for a little over 2 years, I figure I will give myself a little more time before a take on the Beast. The “Ultramarathon”. The Ultra is any sporting event involving running and walking longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.2 km’s. Does that sound crazy to you, cause it sounds like lunacy to me!! I have a number of friends that participate in these events on a fairly regular basis, and I’m happy to join them – at the sidelines, waving bags of candy for encouragement… Ok, potato chips if that’s your preference!
As a T1, I admit that the prospect of running this type of event still scares me silly, so I am always inspired by stories that others of ‘my kind’ have chosen to share. One such fellow T1 is Roger Hanney. Roger is an Ultra-marathoner from Australia, and he is the first endurance runner with Type 1 Diabetes to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam. Seriously, if you want to know what insanity looks like, check this series out: http://www.4deserts.com.
Now, while I have not yet made the switch to an insulin pump (I still use creepy needles!), I think Rogers’s video is a fantastic example of the extra challenges faced by the diabetic athlete. Thanks Roger for sharing this!!!
– Marijke
Running with Needles 